Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City, 18 - 20 September 2024 – On the occasion of the World Cleanup Day 20 September, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Ocean Cleanup are joining forces with Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh Department of Natural Resources and Environment to host "Green Heroes, Clean Tech Programme”, a series of events between September 18 to 20 to drive action on plastic pollution in Viet Nam.

Events in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho will bring together citizens, experts, community leaders, businesses, and policymakers to clean up plastic pollution hotspots, share innovative solutions for intercepting plastic pollution in Viet Nam’s waterways, promote behavior change in the plastics industry, and support policies to stop plastic pollution at the source.

Plastic pollution is one of the most urgent issues in Viet Nam, endangering not only the environment, but also the health and well-being of many urban and coastal communities. The country’s cities produce vast amounts of plastic waste every day, with Ho Chi Minh City alone generating nearly 2,000 tons of plastic waste daily. Tackling plastic pollution is a key priority for the Government of Viet Nam, which has set an ambitious national target to reduce marine plastic debris by 75 percent by 2030.

As part of the global initiative to rid oceans of plastic pollution, Can Tho City was selected to pilot The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor 003 technology, a state-of-the-art river cleaning system designed to collect up to 50 tons of waste daily. The Interceptor has been operational in the Can Tho River since 2021 and was officially handed over to local authorities in April 2024.

At the ceremony, Mr. Duong Tan Hien, a standing member of the Can Tho City Party Committee and standing Vice Chairman of Can Tho City, emphasized: "Environmental protection is everyone's common responsibility. All people of Can Tho City should join hands to protect the ecological environment, preserve and rationally use natural resources, protect biodiversity, and preserve the fresh and clean landscape, contributing to building Can Tho City into an increasingly Green - Clean - Beautiful, sustainable development, rich, beautiful, civilized and modern."

“The Ocean Cleanup’s mission is to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. We achieve this through a dual strategy of intercepting ocean bound plastic in rivers and removing legacy plastic pollution in the ocean.  The work we do in Viet Nam is a critical part of our global rivers strategy, and we are proud to partner with the UNDP, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh Department of Natural Resources and Environment on World Cleanup Day to continue to drive meaningful action in the removal of plastic pollution” Marco Piet, Rivers Director, The Ocean Cleanup

“Innovations offer various solutions for collecting floating waste in rivers and canals. A key focus is the deployment of automated systems that efficiently collect waste to shore, where it can be processed by city waste management systems. This approach helps prevent waste and plastic from the river to sea, reducing marine plastic pollution,” said Ms. Dzeneta Mulabegovic – UNDP Strategic Advisor to Resident Representative on Private Sector Engagement in Viet Nam. “Each person can contribute to stopping plastic pollution at its source and “make room for life!”. Great efforts can lead to significant transformations, and everyone can be a hero in fighting plastic pollution!.”
This event is part of the global partnership between UNDP and The Ocean Cleanup. The partnership seeks to reduce plastic pollution in oceans and rivers by accelerating the use of innovative technologies, supporting strong policies, and encouraging behavior change along the plastics value chain in countries around the globe. 

Press contacts:

UN Development Programme 
Phan Huong Giang 
UNDP, Viet Nam, Media and Communications Analyst 
+84 948466688
phan.huong.giang@undp.org 

The Ocean Cleanup
CFF Communications on behalf of The Ocean Clean up
theoceancleanup@cffcommunications.nl

About the UN Development Programme
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet.  
Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP. 

About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: intercepting in rivers to stop the flow and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops and deploys large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ Solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. As of May 2024, the non-profit has collected over 17 million kilograms (37.4 million pounds) of trash from aquatic ecosystems around the world. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and opened its first regional office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2023.